Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Tentative Agreement
Dear Hawaiian Flight Attendants:
The Negotiating Committee is pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement (TA) with management on the 787-9 Dreamliner. The agreement will allow the company to proceed with its purchase of the new aircraft, which is scheduled to be delivered to Hawaiian in mid-2021. The Letter of Agreement (LOA) will become effective upon membership ratification.
Negotiations spanned many weeks and involved intense and heated discussion with management on many aspects of the aircraft, but the central issue was staffing. Our negotiations were complicated by the fact that the company has not yet made a final decision on the maximum seating configuration of the aircraft. The configurations range from 303 to 326 passenger seats.
Once we reached a deal with management, the Negotiating Committee presented the tentative agreement to the Master Executive Council (MEC). The MEC unanimously approved the tentative agreement and voted to send it out for membership ratification. Balloting will be done electronically and will begin in mid-June.
The MEC Leadership and the Negotiating Committee fully support and recommend the tentative agreement. This is an important investment in our future. The Negotiating Committee secured appropriate staffing levels for the type of flying that the 787-9 will be performing and captured improved premium pays. In addition, the tentative agreement includes a signing bonus as well as several improvements that will go into effect immediately upon membership ratification.
What are the next steps?
The Negotiating Committee will announce scheduled meetings in Honolulu and Los Angeles (roadshows) to go over the details of the tentative agreement. A summary of the tentative agreement will be distributed via email during the week of June 11th, which will allow members to make an informed decision prior to casting their ballot. Details on the voting timeline will be released as soon as the dates have been finalized with the AFA International Office. Instructions on voting, as well as additional information on the tentative agreement will be sent to each Flight Attendant’s mailing address on file. If you would like to make sure your mailing address is up to date, you may email your local membership chairperson in Honolulu (secretary@hawaiian43.org) or Los Angeles (beth.hayes@hawaiian47.org).
Why did AFA negotiate a “New Equipment” LOA in the middle of Section 6 contract negotiations?
While it would not have been our preference to interrupt our contract negotiations, Section 27.C. of the contract compels us to bargain with management over wages, rules and working conditions within 15 days of written notification of its intention to acquire new aircraft. After AFA was notified by CEO, Peter Ingram, on March 6th, we had to negotiate. The company imposed a 60-day deadline to reach a deal with AFA and the pilots (ALPA), or they would not confirm the order with Boeing. This deadline was imposed to put pressure on the unions to reach a deal. The pilots reached a tentative agreement on April 29th and it has since been ratified by their members.
It is important to understand that the AFA Hawaiian Airlines Contract is the only Flight Attendant contract in the industry that has a provision requiring management to negotiate wages, rules and working conditions for new aircraft. By comparison, at other airlines (both union and non-union) management determines the staffing for new equipment, often staffing flights with FAA minimum crews and adding additional Flight Attendants for higher levels of service.
What does the 787-9 mean for Hawaiian?
It is always important to look to the future. Just like the A330 was a game-changer for our airline and our careers, the 787-9 will continue this tradition of growth and expansion. The possibilities of extending our reach further into China, Asia and even Europe are possible with the range and efficiencies of this new aircraft.
The 787-9 also allows Hawaiian to capitalize on the pending joint venture with Japan Airlines. The Japanese market has been successful for us and can only be more so given this new addition.
Stay Tuned!
The roadshow schedule, voting timelines and specifics will be distributed in the very near future. We look forward to meeting with you and discussing the details of the tentative agreement, and then getting back to the business of negotiating our next contract.
As a reminder, our email address is open and available for questions, comments, or suggestions. Our address is AFAcontract2017@halafa.org
Mahalo from the Negotiating Committee,
Sharon Soper, Diana Huihui, Ka'imi Lee, Martin Gusman, Jeff Fuke and Paula Mastrangelo, AFA Senior Staff Negotiator